We live in stories

So, I finished reading the Cluetrain Manifesto the other day. Yeah, I know. Many of you read it 10 years ago; I read it 10 days ago. So what? :)

The free version of the Cluetrain Manifesto is available over here...

It is a wonderful book. I am totally hooked. I found many great insights and facets of stories and storytelling inside the book:

The fundamental appeal of stories is conflict, struggle, and complexity. Stories never begin with "happily ever after,"...

Stories play a large part in the success of organizations. With stories, we teach, pass along knowledge of our craft to colleagues, and create a sense of shared mission.

If you want understanding, you have to reenter the human world of stories. If you don’t have a story, you don’t have understanding. From the first accidental wiener roast on a prehistoric savanna, we’ve understood things by telling stories. I don’t mean fiction or stories heavy with plot; I mean narratives that string events together in time and show them unfolding.

We live in stories. We breathe stories. Most of our best conversations are about stories. Stories are a big step sidewise and up from information:

• Unlike information, they have a start and a finish. The order counts a lot.


• They talk about events, not conditions.


• Stories are about particular humans; no substitutions allowed.


• Stories are told in a human voice. It matters who’s telling it.

Stories are a way to understand a world that can surprise us.

Isn't that awesome? By the way, right now I am reading Free, another great book as it seems. Also available for free, for example as an audiobook, over here.

(image credit: kk+)